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How to order a Massachusetts death certificate

Who holds it: City/town clerk where the death occurred and RVRS (1936-present); pre-1936 also at the city/town of occurrence1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Fees
  2. Who may order and what is restricted
  3. More details
  4. Related records in Massachusetts
  5. How Massachusetts handles it
  6. Death certificates in Massachusetts counties with a full guide
  7. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  8. Sources

Fee

Same RVRS fees as birth: $20 in person, $32 mail, $54/$42 online1

Fees

Local fee (example)
Boston: $12 per copy in person; $14 per copy online or by mail (online includes shipping); Boston holds deaths in Boston or of Boston residents; online 1956-present, 1870-1956 by mail or in person, no certified copies before 18702

Who may order and what is restricted

SSN restriction
From July 1, 2026, the full SSN on a death record is released only to listed persons with a legitimate need (spouse, parent, child, grandchild, sibling, informant, funeral director, estate representative, etc.)1

More details

SSN default
Massachusetts death certificates omit the decedent's SSN unless an eligible requester asks for it2
Birth certificates: who holds it
City/town clerk of the place of birth (and of parents' residence) and the state Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS, Dept. of Public Health), 1936-present3
Birth certificates: fee
RVRS: $20 in person; $32 mail; $42 expedited mail; $54 first copy online/phone (VitalChek), $42 additional; expedited online $62.50/$50.504
Probate: who holds it
Probate and Family Court (state Trial Court department, with registries in each county) handles wills and estates5

How Massachusetts handles it

  • Vital records kept by cities and towns, not counties. Vital records are held by city/town clerks and the state RVRS; Archives directs pre-1841 requests to town clerks6

Death certificates in Massachusetts counties with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Essex CountyCity/town clerk where the death occurred and RVRS (1936-present); pre-1936 also at the city/town of occurrence7—Same RVRS fees as birth: $20 in person, $32 mail, $54/$42 online7
Hampden CountyCity/town clerk where the death occurred and RVRS (1936-present); pre-1936 also at the city/town of occurrence8—Same RVRS fees as birth: $20 in person, $32 mail, $54/$42 online8
Hampshire CountyCity/town clerk where the death occurred and RVRS (1936-present); pre-1936 also at the city/town of occurrence9—Same RVRS fees as birth: $20 in person, $32 mail, $54/$42 online9
Middlesex CountyCity/town clerk where the death occurred and RVRS (1936-present); pre-1936 also at the city/town of occurrence10—Same RVRS fees as birth: $20 in person, $32 mail, $54/$42 online10
Norfolk CountyCity and town clerks and the state Registry of Vital Records and Statistics11—Same RVRS fees as birth: $20 in person, $32 mail, $54/$42 online12
Suffolk CountyBoston Registry Division: online 1956-present13——
Worcester CountyCity/town clerk where the death occurred and RVRS (1936-present); pre-1936 also at the city/town of occurrence14—Same RVRS fees as birth: $20 in person, $32 mail, $54/$42 online14

For any other county, see the county list on the Massachusetts guide.

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Massachusetts office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: death certificates in every state. Everything else in Massachusetts: Massachusetts public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 14 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Order a birth, marriage, or death certificateMassachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statisticsarchived copy
  2. How to get a death certificateCity of Boston Registry Division
  3. Ordering a CertificateMassachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statisticsarchived copy
  4. Vital records service feesMassachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statisticsarchived copy
  5. Probate and Family Courtarchived copy
  6. Researching Vital Records at the Massachusetts Archives (Vital Records, 1841-1935)Massachusetts Archives (Secretary of the Commonwealth)archived copy
  7. Order a birth, marriage, or death certificateMassachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statisticsarchived copy
  8. Order a birth, marriage, or death certificateMassachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statisticsarchived copy
  9. Order a birth, marriage, or death certificateMassachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statisticsarchived copy
  10. Order a birth, marriage, or death certificateMassachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statisticsarchived copy
  11. Ordering a CertificateMassachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statisticsarchived copy
  12. Order a birth, marriage, or death certificateMassachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statisticsarchived copy
  13. How to get a death certificateCity of Boston
  14. Order a birth, marriage, or death certificateMassachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statisticsarchived copy